After much anticipation, the Solar Power International 2009 event begins. SPI is the largest business-to-business solar energy conference and expo in North America, held this year at the Anaheim Convention Center for three days from October 27 - 29. The event is presented by the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).
Sharp has released reports of a solar cell conversion efficiency that reaches 35.8% using a triple-junction compound solar cell. The company reached its breakthrough as part of a research and development initiative supported by Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization on the theme of “R&D on innovative solar cells”...
GreenVolts has named David Gudmundson their new president and CEO. His position will start immediately at the company’s newly relocated headquarters in Fremont, California. Bringing more than 20 years of experience in senior management positions with technology companies and a track record of improving the growth of both domestic and international market share and revenue, GreenVolts looks forward to Gudmundson applying his skills to his new position.
First Solar Development Canada is planning a 186-hectare, 20MW solar farm near Belmont, London, which has the potential to produce enough electricity to power 3000 homes. The company and its proposed project will be the first to go through the new Ontario process aimed to speed renewable energy projects. First Solar’s proposed project spans three municipalities and two counties. Ontario’s Energy Minister George Smitherman said in September that after submitting the paperwork to local officials, all renewable energy projects must now go through a new provincial approvals process.
A solar module prototype developed by SunPower has clocked a 20.4% efficiency in tests, confirmed by the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL). The 333W full-sized solar panel consists of 96 third-generation cells with a total panel area of 1.6m2. The prototype was funded the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under its Solar America Initiative (SAI), which was awarded to SunPower approximately two years ago.
3S Industries and CEA Liten (Laboratory of Innovation for New Energy Technologies) -- the French technological research organization -- have signed a three-year agreement to collaborate on the development of PV modules based on silicon-based heterojunction solar cells and the tools needed to produce this type of module.
For the past 30 months, PV Sunrise has been running a project with the aim of paving the future for photovoltaics in Europe's energy mix. This project has now come to an end with the final forum event, 'Diffusion in the Building Sector: Strengthening the cooperation between the PV industry, architects and constructors', held on the 22 October 2009 in Brussels.
Arthur Rudin and Robert Muhn have joined SoloPower as the new VP of product development and general manager of sales, respectively. Combined the two solar veterans bring 60 years of experience in the solar industry to the company.
Trina Solar announced that it has entered into a sales agreement with Proinso (Proyectos Integrales Solares). Trina Solar will provide Proinso with around 108MW of PV modules at predetermined prices. Proinso has an option to purchase an additional 12MW in the first quarter of 2010.
The U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory has validated conversion efficiencies of 14.1% for flexible copper-indium-gallium-(di)selenide (CIGS) solar-cell materials produced on Ascent Solar’s 1.5MW commercial pilot line in Littleton, CO. The company’s internal testing shows active-area peak efficiencies for its full-size monolithically integrated CIGS-on-polyimide modules reaching 11.7%, with median efficiencies on the line averaging between 10.5 and 11%-plus, according to president/CEO Farhad Moghadam.
